Quality In Print

Quality In Print is moving

2012-02-03T17:13:00.000-08:00

Over the next few weeks I will be migrating all the Quality In Print postings to a new blog "The Print Guide" in order to better organize and present the content. So there'll be no new posts made here. Instead, new posts will appear on the The Print Guide blog.

If you are a subscriber to Quality In Print please visit the new blog and subscribe there. And don't forget to update your bookmarks. Sorry for the inconvenience.

You can go to the new blog by clicking HERE

Thanks all for your support and interest in my blog.

Best, gordo

Kodak files Chapter 11

2012-01-19T12:38:00.001-08:00

A Manifesto for Manufacturers

2012-01-13T16:42:00.000-08:00

The Unwritten Laws of Engineering by California engineer W. Julian King was first published in 1944 as three articles in Mechanical Engineering magazine. It has been in print as a book ever since. Recent editions, including a trade version, The Unwritten Laws of Business, have revisions and additions by James G. Skakoon. The Unwritten Laws are not about engineering, but about behavior and contain sound advice for any business and its employees.

A Manifesto for Manufacturers

HOWEVER MENIAL and trivial your early assignments may appear, give them your best efforts.

DEMONSTRATE the ability to get things done.

DEVELOP a “Let’s go see!” attitude.

DON’T be timid – speak up – express yourself and promote your ideas

STRIVE for conciseness and clarity in oral or written reports; be extremely careful of the accuracy of your statements.

ONE of the first things you owe your supervisor is to keep them informed of all significant developments.

DO NOT overlook the steadfast truth that your direct supervisor is your “boss”.

BE as particular as you can in the selection of your supervisor.

WHENEVER you are asked by your manager to do something, you are expected to do exactly that.

CULTIVATE the habit of seeking other peoples’ opinions and recommendations.

PROMISES, schedules, and estimates are necessary and important instruments in a well-ordered business.

IN DEALING with customers and outsiders, remember that you represent the company, ostensibly with full responsibility and authority.

DO NOT try to do it all yourself.

EVERY manager must know what goes on in their domain.

CULTIVATE the habit of “boiling matters down” to their simplest terms.

CULTIVATE the habit of making brisk, clean-cut decisions.

LEARN PROJECT MANAGEMENT skills and techniques, then apply them to the activities that you manage.

MAKE SURE that everyone – managers and subordinates – has been assigned definite positions and responsibilities within the organisation.

MAKE SURE that all activities and all individuals are supervised by someone competent in the subject matter involved.

NEVER MISREPRESENT a subordinate’s performance during performance appraisals.

MAKE it unquestionably clear what is expected of employees.

YOU OWE it to your subordinates to keep them properly informed.

NEVER MISS a chance to commend or reward subordinates for a job well done.

ALWAYS ACCEPT full responsibility for your group and the individuals in it.

ONE OF the most valuable personal traits is the ability to get along with all kinds of people.

NEVER UNDERESTIMATE the extent of your professional responsibility and personal liability.

LET ETHICAL BEHAVIOR govern your actions and those of your company.

BE AWARE of the effect that your personal appearance and behavior have on others and, in turn, on you.

BEWARE of what you commit to writing and of who will read it.

ANALYSE yourself and your subordinates.

MAINTAIN your employability as well as that of your subordinates.

Thanks to blog reader "Alois Senefelder" who suggested this Manifesto be posted in Quality in Print.

Ink and Paper - a video portrait

2012-01-07T17:41:00.000-08:00

Film maker Ben Proudfoot has made a beautiful short documentary about two, next door neighbor shops - one a paper shop and the other a print shop - both struggling to survive.

Aardvark Letterpress
2500 West 7th Street
Los Angeles, CA
(213) 388-2271
http://www.aardvarkletterpress.com/

McManus & Morgan Paper
2506 West 7th Street
Los Angeles, CA
(213) 387-4433
http://www.mcmanusmorgan.com

Until 2012

2011-12-17T22:36:00.001-08:00

Workin' In A Printer Wonderland - a terrific promotional video by Advocate Printing & Publishing Ltd. Pictou (and several other towns), Nova Scotia, Canada. Don't miss watching the out-takes at the end.
And then a bit of conversational artificial intellegence:

Things that make me go Grrrrrrrrrrr...

2011-12-09T22:46:00.001-08:00

I recently bought a new (actually used) vehicle and typically with such purchases, there was no printed owner's manual. However, I was able to download, in PDF form, a digital version from the manufacturer's website.
But...
Why on earth is the manual a screened PDF with all the associated artifacts?It's a PDF after all! It doesn't cost any extra to publish it digitally using continuous tone greyscale images or even in full color.

Then there's the weird demo guy.

First he has a fixed Botox-like smile that never changes:
And the same illustration is used for different actions.
However, despite his Botox frozen facial expression, he somehow manages to change his hair style and color from page to page:

Grrrrrrrrrrr...

The Wayback View - At the print shop

2011-12-04T19:09:00.001-08:00

The lyrical update to Walt Disney's well known song says it best: "I owe, I owe, it's off to work I go." And with that little ditty in mind we'll take a look at the trade workers inside the print shops of yesteryear.

Click on images to enlarge.
The art room and print area of Walling Press - a silkscreen printer.
The offices of the Government Printing Office, Washington, DC in November 1912.
Louis Gitney, a young type compositor earns $7.00 a week in a Sixth Ave. New York printing office 1917
Press room at Richmond & Backus Co. Detroit circa 1901.
The typesetting department - 1910.A poster on the wall in the above photograph reminds employees "Do Not Spit on the Floor".
Horace Lindfors is a 14-year-old helper at Riverside Press, 1st Ave. New York in February 1917.
Management pretending to check a press sheet at the Government Printing Office, Washington, DC in 1937.
Printing postcards. As in the previous photograph, note the lack of safety enclosures on the press. Watch your fingers!
Keep those presses running!
The "Old Castle Print Shop" has its name prominently displayed on the shop floor wall. Perhaps to remind employees about where they work?
Upon closer examination, some old shop photos reveal bits of interesting information. For example, in this print shop interior dated January, 1922, there are two small posters on the back wall.The smaller poster proclaims this to be a union shop.The first successful strike in the U.S.A. was organized by printers in Philadelphia in 1786. It won the workers pay raises.

The other bit of interest in this photograph is the poster on the right hand side: The words read:
'Help the private soldiers and sailors legion establish a Soldiers' Club here.
For the Unemployed and Hungry Ex-Service Men.
"We are as buddies"
Help us to help them.'
The U.S. entered World War 1 in April, 1917. The war ended in November 1918. But as this poster indicates, four years later help was still needed for the soldiers who fought in that conflict.

Inspecting unemployment forms at the Government Printing Office in 1937.The Great Depression originated in the U.S., starting with a fall in stock prices that began around September 4, 1929 and became worldwide news with the stock market crash of October 29, 1929. From there, it quickly spread to almost every country in the world.

Automated bindery, 1910. Looking not that different from what you would see today.
Manual bindery (1912), also similar to what you'd see today.
An in-house print shop in Vanier College c.a. 1940. Even nuns enjoyed a turn at the press.

"DPI" and the misuse of terminology

2011-11-26T21:24:00.001-08:00

The prepress and press worlds are some of the worse misusers of terminology with the all too frequent resulting confusion in sales, marketing, specification, and production. Here is one of the most misused: "DPI" (or as it is spoken of in the rest of the world: DPCM).

"DPI" - Dots Per Inch is a term used for a variety of things that properly speaking it shouldn't.

DPI - when used to describe the resolution of a computer to plate imaging device or filmsetter. E.g. "This is a 2400 dpi CtP device."

"Dots" in this case refers to the laser "Spots" of energy that expose the printing plate or film. However, while DPI, identifies the number of dots per inch - it doesn't actually describe the resolution of the device or size of the spot of energy. Instead it defines the device's "addressability." In other words, dpi tells you how many locations per inch a spot of energy can be focussed on – not the actual size of the spot of energy.

This graphic shows plate media being exposed at 2,400 dpi by six different CtP devices:Note that they are all 2,400 dpi - that is that they all can hit the target location (address) with their beam of energy - however the exposing spots of energy are all different sizes, in this example ranging from about 2 microns on the left to about 30 microns on the right.

Resolution vs addressability is explained in more detail by clicking HERE.

DPI - when used to describe the resolution of an inkjet printer. E.g. "This inkjet proofer prints at 2880 x 1440 dpi."
In the case of an inkjet printer, the clue to this misuse of dpi to wrongly mean resolution is revealed with asymmetrical dpi specifications. So, an inkjet proofer that has the specification that says it prints at 2880 x 1440 dpi does not mean that the resolution is finer, or that the droplets of ink are finer in one direction. Instead it simply means that the paper is moved more slowly in one direction - i.e. the addressability is changed - while the physical size of the droplet of ink, and hence its resolution remains the same.
On the left a symmetrical inkjet addressability grid (600 x 600 dpi). On the right the same printer set at 1200 x 600 dpi. The addressability has changed but not the size of the cyan droplet of ink and therefore the actual resolution of the device remains the same.
In any case, the actual size of the mark the droplet of ink makes on the paper is unknown. For a 600 or 1440 "dpi" ink jet printer it most certainly is not 1/600ths or 1/1440th of an inch in size. As a result, with some inkjet printers, reference is sometimes made to "picoliters" in addition to dpi when the resolution of the device is described in the specifications. A picoliter is a unit of fluid volume. A lower minimum ink volume tends to yield a smaller minimum droplet size of ink allowing more dots of ink to be in the same area thereby yielding higher actual resolution. While picoliter is a better indicator of the relative size of the splat of ink on the paper it is still a unit of volume and not area. So it suggests a difference in resolution but doesn't actually specify it.

DPI - when used to describe the resolution of an image scanner. E.g. "This is a 600 x 2400 dpi scanner."
An image scanner—often abbreviated to just scanner—is a device that optically scans images, printed text, handwriting, or an object, and converts it to a digital image. The resolution of Digital images is usually expressed as dots per inch or pixels per inch. As a result the resolution of scanners is often expressed in terms of dpi (and sometimes "ppi" pixels per inch). The more accurate description is "spi" which stands for "samples per inch" since scanners sample the document they are scanning.

A related issue with defining scanner resolution is that manufacturers typically refer to the scanner's interpolated resolution - which is a software upsampling algorithm method to increase the pixel density - instead of using the scanner's true optical resolution. If the scanner's dpi is asymmetrical (e.g. 600 x 2400 dpi) then the smaller number usually indicates the particular number of individual samples that are taken in the space of one linear inch while the larger number is the interpolated samples.

DPI - when used to describe the resolution of an image. E.g. "This is a 300 dpi image."

Once an image has been digitized, either via scanning or captured with a digital camera, it is in the form of a raster image made up of pixels (picture elements). In graphic arts usage the pixels are typically square in shape and 8-bits (256 grey levels) in depth per channel (greyscale = one channel, RGB = three channels, CMYK = four channels).

Because pixels are generally thought of as the smallest single component of a digital image, the more pixels that are used to represent an image, the closer the result can resemble the original.As ppi, a.k.a. "dpi", increases so does the amount of image detail that can be rendered creating the impression of greater apparent resolution.Pixel counts can be expressed as a single number, e.g. an image at 100% reproduction size being 300 "dpi", or as in a "three-megapixel" digital camera, which has a nominal three million pixels, or as a pair of numbers, as in a "640 by 480 display", which has 640 pixels from side to side and 480 from top to bottom (as in a VGA display), and therefore has a total number of 640 × 480 = 307,200 pixels or 0.3 megapixels.
Again, the measures dots per inch (dpi) and pixels per inch (ppi) are sometimes used interchangeably, but have distinct meanings, and although dpi is often used to refer to digital image resolution the proper term is "ppi" - pixels per inch.

How to extend the life of your inkjet proof

2011-11-19T14:43:00.000-08:00

A great deal of effort is put into the making of a contract quality inkjet proof. However, if it is not properly taken care of, its useful life can be shortened and its integrity as a color reference compromised.

How the inkjet media and proofs are stored and handled, as well as their exposure to ambient office or light booth lighting, affect the color of the proof and its color integrity over time.

Here are a few simple things you can do to help maintain, or extend, the color integrity of your inkjet proofs.

• Depending on the surrounding ambient temperature and relative humidity, it can be several minutes, or even hours before an inkjet proof is dry enough to handle. So, before handling a proof, make sure that the ink is actually dry.

• Handle the proof by its edges to avoid leaving fingerprint smudges on the imaged area. Fingerprints may also leave residual oils on the media which may repel ink when the proof is imaged. After the proof is imaged fingerprint oils may dissolve water-based proofing inks leaving unsightly marks on the proof. Try to always use lightweight cotton gloves when handling proofs.

• Avoid bending the corners of the proofing media.

• If you will be stacking proofs, always place a light-weight slip sheet between the proofs.

• Store proofs in cool, dark, low humidity shelves or envelopes away from light or dust as inkjet proofs will fade with exposure to ambient office or light booth lighting.

• Keep all unimaged media in their boxes when not in use and store in a cool dry place away from light and dust.

• Always allow the proofing media to acclimate for 48 hours in the proofing area before printing.

• For optimal results, if available, follow the recommended environmental conditions provided by the proofing media manufacturer.

Pantone color shifting - the problem with coatings

2011-11-12T13:51:00.001-08:00

I think that most of us have been hit with an unpleasant surprise when a Pantone ink color shifts after being UV or aqueous coated. As one example, Reflex Blue (arguably the most difficult color in printing) prints as dark blue but will dry with a reddish sheen that will not dry properly. To try and make it dry faster the printer might run it through the press a second time to apply a coating, either UV or Aqueous, to seal the ink. This causes an immediate color shift which will continue to shift over the course of a few days.

The colors in the table below, as well as any spot color recipes that use them in the formula, will shift color (a.k.a. alkalinity burn) when subjected to the alkalinity of a aqueous or UV coating.
In order to avoid the costs involved with reprinting a spoiled job, when mixing and/or specifying PMS colors it's critical to inform your ink vendor that you will be aqueous or UV coating the job.

Special thanks to Bob Peterson of Superior Ink for his contribution to this post.

Printers and Ink - wherever you go, there you are!

2011-11-07T17:58:00.001-08:00

Printers Alley, Nashville, Tennessee, United States
Ink Street, Carletonville, Gauteng, South Africa
Printers Alley, Doylestown, Pennsylvania, United States
Ink Wells Drive, San Antonio, Texas, United States
Printers Place, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia
Ink Road, Iowa, United States
Printers Lea, Balgrochan, United Kingdom
Ink Street, Rochdale, United Kingdom
Printers Lane, New Haven, Conneticut, United States
Ink Lane, North Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Printers Alley, Middlebury, Vermont, United States
Ink Drive, Redding, California, United States
Printers Parkway, Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States
Graphics Way, Lewis Center, Ohio, United States
Graphics Drive, Tinley Park, Illinois, United States
Graphic Way, Westerville, Ohio, United States

Is this blog being censored? And some housekeeping.

2011-11-02T11:00:00.001-07:00

I found this graphic in my blog's visitor history (the company name is blurred out):
I know that this blog is censored in China so visitors from that region of the world have to use methods to get around the great firewall. But I didn't realize that companies in the west censored the site. Has this happened at the company that you work for? If so, I would love to hear about it and how you dealt with it. I'm also interested in how common it is for companies to censor their employee at work internet browsing.

On another note. Comments on blog postings are always appreciated. However, if the comment contains a link to a commercial web site I will consider it as spam - no matter how flattering the comment is.

And a reminder, if you find this blog of value then I'm sure you'll feel great by sending a donation. Don't be shy.

On-press stability and consistency

2011-10-26T16:00:00.000-07:00

A printing press is a device for laying down a film of ink onto a substrate. Each component on each press unit, from ink ductor rollers to ink train oscillation moves or rotates with a repetitive frequency and this shows up as solid ink density variation. When the natural solid ink density variations through the press run are graphed, the result is sometimes referred to as the "heartbeat" of the press because of its resemblance to the rhythm of a human heartbeat.
The heartbeat of a press - the solid ink density variations measured over through the press run. Each of the 3 sections contains 100 press sheets from the beginning, middle, and end of the press run. Each "heartbeat" in each section is the solid ink density variation between 10 sheets. So, each of the three sections contains the SID measurements of 100 sheets.
The human heartbeat.
Every press design has its own "heartbeat" profile that represents its normal condition. What one looks for are abnormalities in the heartbeat profile itself as well as in comparison between different press units. Plotting the heartbeat of the press, just as it does with humans, can help diagnose problems in the system that may need correcting.

Solid ink densities varying naturally through the press run cause dot gains - tone reproduction - to also vary which in turn causes color shifts in the presswork. Below, courtesy of data provided by Alwan Print Standardizer, is a movie showing dot gain variation through the press run.
Click on the expand icon (the four arrows) to enlarge the video for greater clarity. Then click on the play arrow.
It's fair to say that a printing press in proper working condition is stable - but not consistent. And that fact applies equally to the presswork itself. Therefore, since variation is an integral characteristic of the printing process, the important thing is to establish, and communicate between buyer and print provider, what the target for presswork color should be, how it will be measured, and what range of variation is acceptable based on the needs of the specific job at hand.

Printing Standards and Specifications - part 2 of 2

2011-10-20T18:16:00.000-07:00

There are various ISO 12647 standards according to the main types of printing methods (see previous post HERE). In this post I will try and cover the essentials of just one of these - ISO 12647-2 - as an example of the type of specifications that guide printers to achieving the standard. Note that specifications do change over time, so, although the information I present is correct (as far as I know) the actual current published standards should be your guide.ISO 12647-2 specifies a number of process parameters and their values to be applied when preparing color separations for four-color offset printing by one of the following methods: heat-set web, sheet-fed or continuous forms process printing, or proofing for one of these processes; or offset proofing for half-tone gravure. Note that the specifications are based on plates imaged in a film, not CtP, workflow.

ISO 12647-2 is
▪ directly applicable to proofing and printing processes that use color separation films as input
▪ directly applicable to proofing and printing from printing formes produced by filmless methods as long as direct analogies to film production systems are maintained
▪ applicable to proofing and printing with more than four process colors as long as direct analogies to four-color printing are maintained, such as for data and screening, for print substrates and printing parameters
▪ applicable by analogy to line screens and non-periodic (i.e. FM) screens.

ISO 12647-2 Type 1 for offset lithographic processes on gloss-coated paper specifies:
Ink: ISO 2846-1
Substrate: L* 95 a* 0 b* -2
Primary Colors (black backed): K: L* 16, a* 0, b* 0 , C: L* 54 a* -36, b* -49, M: L* 46, a* 72, b* -5, Y: L* 87, a* -6, b* 90
Secondary Colors (black backed): R (M+Y): L* 46, a* 67, b* 47 , G (C+Y): L* 49 a* -66, b* 24, B (C+M): L* 24, a* 16, b* -45, C+M+Y: L* 22, a* 0, b* 0
Solid ink densities: (informative information)*
Halftone screen: 133 lpi, 150 lpi, 175 lpi, 20 micron FM
Dot Gain/TVI: 12 -16% or 18 -22%
Grey Balance: 25%-19%-19%, 50%-40%-40%, 75%-64%- 64%
Neutral definition: substrate or equivalent tone of black
ISO profile: ISOcoated_v2_eci.icc
Characterization data: Fogra39L.txt

GRACoL 7 The General Requirements and Applications for Commercial Offset Lithography publication that is a common reference in North America and is based on ISO 12647-2 specifies:
Ink: ISO 2846-1
Substrate: ISO 12647-2
Primary Colors: ISO 12647-2*
Secondary Colors: ISO 12647-2*
Solid ink densities: Not specified
Halftone screen: 175 lpi AM round dot
Dot gain/TVI: Not specified - replaced by Neutral Print Density Curve values: @ 25% Grey: CMY .25/K .22, @ 50% Grey CMY .54/K .50, @ 75% Grey: CMY .90/K .90
Grey Balance (required): 50%-40%-40%
Neutral definition: a* 0 b* -2
ICC profile: GRACoL2006_Coated1v2.icc
Characterization data: GRACoL2006_Coated1

Some peculiarities of ISO 12647-2 and GRACoL 7

Where GRACol 7 differs from ISO 12647-2 (as per the implementation guidelines of PSO (Print Standard Offset-print)) is the method used for adjusting the mid-tones. The PSO advises adjusting the inking until the TVIs of CMY come close to their aims, while GRACol 7 would have the neutral densities of the CMY and the K grey patches brought close to the prescribed aim values regardless of the individual TVIs that result. In practice this means that each color will have a different TVI curve to achieve the neutral grey. GRACol 7 allows for deviation of primaries in order to obtain grey balance.

ISO 12647-2 includes the following chart of dot gain/TVI curves:There are a few peculiarities with this chart. First is that there is no definition in ISO 12647 of what printing condition the letters "A" through "H" represent.** ISO 12647 does not clearly state whether these dot gain curves are intended to be tone reproduction targets or aim points or simply what you get when you use linear film to make printing plates. It appears that, because the specifications state that "direct analogies to film production systems are maintained" the intent is to use these curves as the reproduction targets. To, me, the idea of having different tone reproduction curve targets for presswork for different processes or different halftone line screens is counterproductive to standardization.

Resources:

Data set/s for profiling, separation, and proofing
ECI www.eci.org Profiles based on FOGRA data sets
FOGRA www.fogra.org Data sets that closely comply with ISO 12647
GRACoL http://www.idealliance.org
IFRA www.wan-ifra.org Profiles based on ISO 12647-3 (Newsprint)
SNAP www.naa.org SNAP profile
SWOP http://www.idealliance.org

Part 1 on this topic can be viewed by clicking HERE

*Standards documents include two broad classes of information: "normative" and "informative"
Normative elements are defined as "elements that describe the scope of the document, and which set out provisions". Provisions include requirements that convey criteria to be fulfilled if compliance with the document is to be claimed and from which no deviation is permitted.

Informative elements include supplemental information such as additional guidance, supplemental recommendations, tutorials, commentary as well as background, history, development, and relationship with other elements. Informative data is not a requirement for compliance with the standard.

**As near as I can guess (so I may be wrong), here are the printing conditions represented by the letters "A" through "H" in the ISO dot gain chart. The curves are organized from the bottom up. They sometimes do double duty.

So:

A is the curve for CMY for Coated positive plate (ISO Coated v2 and FOGRA 27, FOGRA 39 etc)
B is the curve for K for same above condition

B is also curve for CMY for Web (paper type 3)
C is the curve for K for uncoated

C is also the curve for CMY for paper type 4/5 (uncoated and uncoated yellowish)
D is curve for K for same above condition

F is the CMYK curve for 20 micron non-periodic/FM screening

E, G and H are unknown (by me anyway). I believe that "H" has been dropped from the latest ISO 12647 document so these may no longer be in force.

Printing Standards and Specifications - part 1 of 2

2011-10-12T06:29:00.000-07:00

Printing standards and their associated specifications bring an independent, authoritative, and concrete basis for file preparation, proofing, presswork, and output evaluation. They reduce proofing cycles and enable faster approval processes. They also help synchronize expectations between print buyer and print provider.

I'll begin with a few definitions.

A Standard according to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) defines a standard as:
"A document established by consensus and approved by a recognized body that provides for common and repeated use, rules, guidelines or characteristics for activities or their results, aimed at the achievement of the optimum degree of order in a given context."

A Specification is not a standard. Rather, it is a detailed description of the criteria for a piece of work. Specifications for printing can include characterization-data, ICC-profiles, PDF preflight criteria, calibration targets for the print process, etc.

A Method is usually defined as a way, technique, or process for doing something. It is a recipe.

To use a cooking analogy - a standard represents the desired final outcome, for example a cake.The specifications describe the ingredients needed to make the cake. The method describes the steps required to make the cake. There can be many different methods to achieve the desired standard based on the specifications.

The most important standards for print production are:

 • ISO 12647  which describes color for different types of presswork (sheetfed, heatset web, coldset web, etc.). Of all of the standards within the Graphic Arts, what is of most importance to most printers and print buyers are contained within the ISO 12647 family.
ISO 12647 is broken down as follows

ISO 12647-1 Parameters & Measurement methods
ISO 12647-2 Offset Lithographic processes
ISO 12647-3 Coldset Offset Lithography on Newsprint
ISO 12647-4 Publication Gravure
ISO 12647-5 Screen Printing
ISO 12647-6 Flexo Printing
ISO 12647-7 Proofing process from digital data

 • ISO 2846-1  which describes ink color and transparency. 

• ISO 3664 defines lighting conditions for viewing color copies and their reproduction with either incident or transmitted light.

 • ISO 15930-X  (PDF/X) for data exchange in print production. 

• ISO 15076 for the ICC color profile format. 

• ISO 12640 for the data format from which ICC profiles are calculated.

The most important specifications for standardized print production are:

 PSO Process Standard Offset printing developed by FOGRA / bvdm / ECI 
This implementation of ISO 12647-2 is included with most digital proofing solutions used in Europe and is pre-configured with the UGRA FOGRA Mediawedge for verification.
Grey balance target values in PSO are done by comparing K- and CMY-patches with similar grey side by side. PSO does not contain procedures and tolerances for judging grey balance by measurement.
PSO also includes the possibility of a certification for pre-press and printing.

 GRACoL/SWOP managed by IDEAlliance  
These standards take their basis from ISO 12647-2 but place a higher importance on grey balance during calibration and the press run compared with the PSO. Most proofing solutions for the North American market include the needed setup to produce proofs that represent the GRACoL/SWOP target.

 System Brunner  
System Brunner is a standardization method for print production. It places a very strong emphasis on grey balance (in combination with TVI and Solids) for controlling and certifying the press run. System Brunner is included with some printing press manufacturer's press control solutions. It can also be combined with PSO, SWOP, or GRACoL.

Part 2 on this topic can be viewed by clicking HERE

Steve Jobs has died

2011-10-05T19:00:00.000-07:00

To paraphrase a line from one of my favorite movies: "The light that shines twice as bright burns half as long and he has shone so very brightly."

He spoke about death in his inspirational talk during his Stanford University commencement speech in 2005 which can be seen by clicking HERE.
A link to my 25th anniversary with the MAC can be found HERE

Re:Print – Press Trouble Shooting

2011-10-05T18:29:00.001-07:00

RE:Print is the first and only cartoon strip devoted to the printing industry. From time to time I post the strip on this blog. However, it is also published weekly on WhatTheyThink's PrintPlanet forum. You can access all the already published cartoons by clicking HERE

Standardize your print process

2011-09-29T17:22:00.000-07:00

A standardized print manufacturing process is critical for achieving effective press to proof color alignment, short press makereadies, and minimal wastage of time and materials.

 The five basic steps are:

1. Choose the appropriate standard and/or specification target for the presswork.
Management's responsibility (with input from prepress, press room, and sales) is to establish what the targets and tolerances (dot gains, standards, specifications etc.) are for the presswork - because those are marketing/business decisions. Then management must provide the tools to allow prepress and pressroom to achieve those targets. That target then drives the complete print production process and determines the selection of all of the components (proofs, press calibration, inks, paper, etc.) needed to hit the target. Worldwide the most adopted standard for printing is ISO 12647-x. The various ISO 12647 standards provide specifications for data, proofs, inks, paper and press calibration. In North America GRACoL and SWOP specifications are largely based on ISO 12647-2 and ISO 12647-3 respectively. 

2. Clearly communicate with print customers about requirements for data/file submission.
This includes items such as whether files should adhere to industry specifications such as SNAP or face rejection. It may include items such as whether native application files are acceptable or only PDFs, what resolution and color mode that images need to be, what minimum text size is acceptable, etc., etc.

3. Implementation of standardized proofing.
In-house proofing must be set up to the same standard and/or specification target for the presswork (i.e. ISO 12647-x, SWOP, etc.). If print customers will be providing proofs for the pressroom then the printer has to communicate that customer-submitted proofs must adhere to the appropriate standard. All proofs must include a color control strip so that they can be verified for conformance to the target standard/specification. There should be virtually no difference in appearance between a customer-supplied proof and one done by the printer in-house. It should also be made clear that the printer's in-house proof is the final proof.

4. Optimize prepress.
The responsibility of prepress is to align proofing to the target established by management as well as to maintain proofing within the tolerances established by management. Prepress must also output plates that enable the press operators to align their presswork to the proofs with the press performing in a repeatable, stable condition. Prepress should have well defined procedures for ensuring that platemaking and the resulting plates are consistent and within tolerance.

5. Optimize press performance.
The responsibility of the press operator(s) is to manage the press in such a way that the the films of the appropriate inks (as defined by the chosen specifications) are laid down in a manner that meets the targets and tolerances (hue, trapping, etc.) established by management and that the halftone dots on the plate are reproduced with fidelity on the various substrates (slur, doubling, etc.). Also, the press operator needs to make sure that all press-related consumables (fountain solution, inks, etc.) are within the tolerances needed to achieve the management defined targets for pressroom output.

Things that make me go Grrrrrrrrrrr...

2011-09-27T21:28:00.000-07:00

Not what I was hoping to post today...but...holy smokes, the Conrad Murray trial on the death of Michael Jackson has just begun and the high-priced lawyers for the man charged with the manslaughter death of Michael Jackson actually misspelled the King of Pop’s first name in a chart by Ed Chernoff, attorney for Conrad Murray. It was shown today to jurors during the defense’s opening statement in a Los Angeles courtroom. What has happened to basic proof reading?
Then L.A. prosecutors also ran into spelling problems during their opening statement. On one of the slides shown to jurors, the word “pronounced” was missing the second “n.”Jeepers, when a comma can mean the difference between "Let's eat, Grandpa." and "Let's eat Grandpa." shouldn't lawyers be more astute?

Things that make me go Grrrrrrrrrrr...

2011-09-22T09:18:00.000-07:00

Campbell's hearty noodle soup...yum, yum.But it's been in the cupboard for awhile. I wonder what the expiry date is?
Nothing printed on the bottom or sides...but I think I see a smudge of black on the bottom left side of the cup's top cover.
Luckily I have my loupe for a close up view.Hmmm, even viewed under loupe it's still unclear. But with a bit of image manipulation in PhotoShop the expiry date is finally legible.Surely the design folks at Campbell's or their packaging supplier, Interpress Technologies, can come up with a way to print a legible expiry date on their containers.

Analog FM screening

2011-09-17T18:41:00.000-07:00

I've been using FM screening in presswork since 1970 (kindergartens were very sophisticated back then :-)). This was way before PhotoShop, personal computers, and digital workflows. The method I used was fairly simple, but difficult to perfect.

I would take a conventional low contrast 35mm black and white (or color slide) positive image.

I would then place the piece of film in my enlarger in the darkroom.

Then I would project the image through a piece of frosted glass that had the frosted side in contact with a piece of lithographic film.Lithographic film does not record grey levels - just black and white. It is the same film that printers use to expose their printing plates.
The rough surface of the frosted side of the glass acted like a digital threshold array and broke the image into a random halftone pattern where the frequency of the dots (and to a lesser extent their size) represented the different grey levels of the original image.The coarseness of the frosted side of the glass determined how coarse the resulting "FM" screen was.

The final result was a piece of negative film that my printer would strip into the the job and use to burn the printing plate.

9/11 Remembered…

2011-09-11T05:46:00.000-07:00

PRINT '01, with about twice the exhibit space of the largest Graph Expo and Converting Expo events, was scheduled to take place September 6-13 2001 at the McCormick Place Complex in Chicago. I was one of the CreoScitex team attending the show to display our wares and introduce, under my Value In Print initiative, its new consulting services.

I was staying at the W Hotel in downtown Chicago and, as was the policy of CreoScitex, I was sharing the room with a coworker. Because I had a presentation to do at the show early on the morning of September 11 I awoke about 6 am and decided not to turn on the television so as not to disturb my room mate. I took a taxi to McCormick Place and was quite surprised at how untalkative the driver was. But, after all I thought, it was very early in the morning.

Arriving at McCormick Place I quickly headed through the empty building to the CreoScitex "sales bunker" - the virtual office for sales people to use at the show. Scattered throughout McCormick Place are television monitors that are tuned to the news channel, with the audio off, when the show is not actually open.The scene that I saw on the screen just looked like a pair of giant smokestacks spewing plumes of black soot so I assumed they were doing a story on industrial pollution.So I continued on my way into the sales bunker.

In the sales bunker I tried, but couldn't get on the Internet to check my email. Then I tried to check my voicemail with my cell phone but couldn't get a signal. Frustrated, I proceeded to the CreoScitex booth. Walking through the exhibition halls I noted that many of the exhibitor's equipment was covered with American flags. So typical of the U.S.A. I thought to myself.

I arrived at the booth and started to organize myself for the presentation that I was scheduled to do later that day. A co-worker at the booth came over to me and asked: "Have you heard the news?"

It took a while to sink in. No presentation today. This would be the last day of Print '01.

I decided to walk back to the hotel - all the time trying to get a signal for my cell phone so I could call and let my wife know that I was OK and not to worry. It was two hours before my phone was able to get a signal and I could make the call.

As news reports started coming in there was talk of a jet en route to Chicago and that the Sears Tower might also be hit. As a result, most stores and restaurants were closed. Once back at the hotel, like many of my co-workers, I just wanted to get back home. The news was that all flights were cancelled for at least the next few days which meant that my return flight ticket for September 14 was no good. A call in to the CreoScitex travel agents revealed that we were on our own to figure out how to get back to Vancouver. Fortunately I linked up with a small group in the lobby of the hotel and managed to rent a passenger van - at a highly inflated day rate.

It took us just 24 hours to travel the 2,200 miles back home.

Like fine dust thrown against the wind, evil falls back upon that fool who offends the inoffensive, pure and guiltless.
- The Dhammapada

Understanding paper brightness and whiteness

2011-09-05T17:26:00.000-07:00

For most printers and print buyers, the terms brightness and whiteness are interchangeable. However, when describing the characteristics of paper there are some important differences between the two terms.

Brightness refers to the percent reflectance of blue light, as measured at a wavelength at, or about, 457nm. The choice of that wavelength is based on the sensitivity of the human eye to blue and yellow light. Brightness was originally a test in paper manufacturing to measure the effectiveness of the bleaching process in removing yellowness from pulp. When paper is bleached, the spectral reflectance curve increases the most in the blue and violet range, at about the 457nm point. This has also made the measurement of brightness well suited for measuring the aging of paper because paper yellows with age. Most white papers are in the 60 to 90% brightness range.
Paper brightness requirements for ISO 12647-2. Currently there are no specifications for ISO 12647-3 (newsprint), ISO 12647-4 (gravure), ISO 12647-5 (screen printing), or ISO 12647-6 (flexo).
Whiteness, on the other hand, refers to the extent to which paper reflects equally the light of all wavelengths throughout the visible spectrum. A truly white sheet of paper will not absorb one wavelength of light energy more than another. For example, if a sheet of paper is placed under a full spectrum light, most of that light will be reflected back equally and the paper will appear white. However, if some of the wavelengths of light energy are absorbed, the color of the paper will shift to the light which was not absorbed, but was instead reflected back to the viewer. That is why a red sheet of paper appears red in white light because it absorbs all the other colors and reflects only the red.

A Printer's Lullaby

2011-08-25T12:50:00.000-07:00

Dwane Hollands, owner of Hollands Print Solutions (http://www.hollands.com.au/) is a sometimes music composer.So, I challenged him with the idea of creating a piece of music using the sound of a printing press to create the underlying musical theme. He chose the rhythm of a Heidelberg press (hear that sound by clicking HERE).

Dwane names his composition "Printer's Lullaby" (although I think it's more of a lament). He describes it in these words: "After a hard days work, those machines need to have a good rest at night. Excited from the day and all the adventures they've been through, they take a while to settle in. After they've drunk their warm milk and cookies and brushed their teeth, it's time for the Printer's Lullaby to get them snuggly off to sleep. Night, Night..."
Click on play arrow to view Dwane's 2 minute composition that I've enhanced with some of my photos taken at a few of the printshops that I've visited over the years.
You can listen to more of Dwane's compositions by clicking HERE

Misregistration on press - Part 3 of 3

2011-08-19T17:44:00.000-07:00

A guide to print misregistration - symptoms and causes.

Symptom
If, in a pull of inspection sheets, only one sheet is misregistered out of tolerance.
Cause
Likely no action is needed as the misregister may be just a chance occurrence.

Symptom
If, in a pull of several consecutive inspection sheets, one or more sheets is misregistered out of tolerance.
Cause
Check the press register system and check the paper for wavy edges.

Symptom
Registration is good on several pulls of inspection sheets, but shows a drift toward the limits for misregistration in one or more colors.
Cause
Check the press gripper edge and side-guide register settings.

Symptom
While the gripper edge registration is good, there is a consistent sidewise misregister along trailing edge. The paper may occasionally show wrinkles.
Cause
Check for excessive impression/blanket squeeze which may be stretching the paper. Also check the paper for wavy edges.

Symptom
Misregistration varies from sheet-to-sheet, mostly in the around the press cylinder direction and is worse along the trailing edge of the sheet.
Cause
This usually happens due to mechanical stretch in lightweight papers. It can also happen with loose blankets or it the ink tack is too high.

Symptom
Misregistration appears to be random and occurs in different areas on different sheets within the run.
Cause
This sometimes occurs when printing heavily embossed papers. The impression pressure may need to be reduced.

Symptom
Specific colors are consistently longer or shorter from gripper to trailing edge.
Cause
The blanket and packing on those units may have compressed during the pressrun causing change in print length.

Symptom
Consistent misregistration at the gripper edge or side-guide edge.
Cause
Check the press register system.

Symptom
Random misregister at the gripper edge or side-guide edge.
Cause
Check the paper edge as the trim may be bowed convex or concave or the paper may have wavy edges.
Alternatively the press speed may be too fast for register system to function properly.

Symptom
Misregistration occurs lengthwise along the gripper edge.
Cause
The paper may be grain-short, its moisture content too low, or the pressroom humidity is too high.
Check the side-guide and sheet-forwarding mechanisms.
The plates may have been imaged in different temperature conditions and may need to be reimaged.

Symptom
Registration is good except for a consistent misregister in one area of sheet.
Cause
If the area of misregistration is on off-guide side trailing edge, check paper for wavy edges.
Check the plates as they may have a built-in misfit caused during imaging in which case new plates will need to be made. There may be a large solid on an earlier-down color near the area that's misregistered, causing paper stretch in that area.

Part 1 on this topic can be viewed by clicking HERE

Part 2 on this topic can be viewed by clicking HERE

Misregistration on press - Part 2 of 3

2011-08-18T15:02:00.000-07:00

In multicolor printing, when all the layers of inks are in perfect register, one is not aware of the individual ink layers, only the image created by their combination.

However, if one or more of the individual ink layers begins to move out of register, the image begins to appear softer, with lower detail definition. Color and tone may subtly shift. And if the ink layers continue to move further out of register, color fringes begin to appear at the edges of detail, and finally the color image breaks up.

There is no absolute point at which the loss of register between the ink layers causes the color or image integrity to become unacceptable. And while misregistration can be expressed in thousandths of an inch or millimeters or in angular degrees, its effect on color register will change depending on several factors. For example, misregistration is most visible in reverse type within a four-color process area. The sharp edges of the type and the high color contrast between the inks and the bare paper exaggerate the visibility of any color fringing caused by misregistration. But color images with little sharp detail or where a black border hides the edges can tolerate a greater degree of misregistration before the reproduction is seen as unacceptable.

Experienced press operators have an intuitive understanding of these factors which has led - in the absence of industry specifications - to a pragmatic approach to the problem of misregistration. The historic, trade practice has been that misregistration is deemed acceptable up to 1/2 row of dots. That is enough to shift a rosette from clear-centered to dot-centered. So, for example, at 133-150 lpi that's about 0.0033ths of an inch (0.0083 cm at 60L/cm).

In register - clear-centered rosettes with a uniform edge.
Out of register by a distance of one half a row of dots - clear-centered become dot-centered rosettes with, in this case, one color layer hanging outside the other three creating a color fringe.
How the press operator measures misregister
Of course, press operators cannot directly measure the amount of misregistration. Instead, when they look closely at the press work through a loupe they employ a simple visual trick:The press operator visualizes the width of a row of halftone dots divided into quarter distances. The solid black lines show the width of one row of halftone dots. The long-dashed black line goes through the center of the dots. The short-dashed lines divide the width of the dot row into quarters. For a 150 lpi halftone, the spacing between adjacent dotted lines is 0.0017" (0.04 mm).
Although trade practice has been to hold misregistration to within one half row of dots - which seems to be a very tight tolerance - there is still a negative impact on the integrity of the press work.

As the dot structure goes from clear-centered to dot-centered as it drifts out of register, the rosette becomes twice as visible effectively halving the screen ruling. So, a dot-centered 150 lpi rosette structure is as visible as a coarse 75 lpi screen. This is often seen like a rash on important skin colors where small amounts of misregistration make the rosette appear then disappear. And as the rosette drifts from clear centered to dot centered it’s like intermittently turning a light on and off and back again - so the color goes intermittently darker and lighter through the run.

Lastly, misregistration changes the overprint ratios of wet and dry trap - causing a color shift. So while the image is going darker and lighter it is also shifting color from bluish to redish and back again. For example, this can be particularly troublesome in, for example, car brochures where there are large expansive areas of neutral grey made up of 4/c process.

Part 1 on this topic can be viewed by clicking HERE

Part 3 on this topic can be viewed by clicking HERE

Misregistration on press - Part 1 of 3

2011-08-16T18:56:00.000-07:00

You may have the most accurate CtP, the best and newest offset press, however, you are still covering absorbent paper with ink and water and squeezing under pressure in the press. The result is that there will always be a chance of misregistration in the presswork.

Here are a few of the most commonly encountered types of misregistration:

Back sheet flare (a.k.a. flare-out or coning)
Back sheet flare usually happens when a lightweight paper is printed with heavy ink coverage. As the sheet is pulled through the press the tail corners of the sheet fan out slightly causing misregister in the corners.
Back stretch
Back stretch can occur if blanket and packing on one or more units may have been compressed during the pressrun, causing change in the print length.
Waggle
Waggle can occur if there's a problem with the on press register system and/or side guides.
Web growth
One type of web growth occurs on web press as the paper streams from ink unit to ink unit. The paper edge gives up moisture at a different rate than the middle of the web. This changes the size of the paper and hence causes misregistration.
Fit
Misregistration occurs when one or more colors do not fit with the others in a set. It is typically caused by the film, or plate in a CtP device, changing size due to environmental temperature changes. As the temperature increases the film/plates expand so the image on plates imaged at different times may be different.
Despite the fact that some degree of misregistration is normal in the printing process, and that it impacts the integrity of the final presswork - as far as I can determine - it's surprising there are no official specifications for what is an acceptable tolerance for misregistration.

Part 2 on this topic can be viewed by clicking HERE

The Wayback View - Print Ephemera - Printer's Invoices

2011-08-07T17:38:00.000-07:00

Old printer's invoices, if you can find them, can provide a fascinating glimpse into how business was conducted "back in the day."

Click on the images to enlarge

Printers often diversify their operations to attract new business. However this 1924 invoice from Buxton and Skinner shows a diversification that is a bit extreme. I wonder what "radiation," "meter rental," and "condensation" actually refer to?
In 1916 you could get 1,000 envelopes for $2.50 (and apparently pay no tax).
This Amsterdam New York invoice from 1944 includes an interesting note to the effect that income tax was withheld on wages. I wonder why they noted this on the invoice?
Perhaps this invoice from 1897 inspired a famous Vulcan with it's motto: "Print and Prosper."
A 1944 job estimate from G. Claridge & Co. of Bombay (Mumbai) appears to be a form letter with the text in red being preprinted while the text in black being customized for each project.
The total of this 1918 invoice for presswork came to $18.25. Translated into 2011 dollars that $18.25 is equivalent to $291.97.
Advertising rates in The Journal published by John W Eedy in 1897 were very reasonable and its presswork "Neatly executed. [with] Prices Moderate."
Selma Printers in 1870 also prided themselves on "Printing Neatly Executed."
M.J. Sullivan differentiated himself from his competition by being a "Practical Printer" (I assume that he considered other printers as impractical). However, it appears that the order for 100 name cards placed August 24, 1922, was a bit slow in being fulfilled since the invoice shows a billing date of December 1, 1923 - over one year later.
Companies are always trying to reduce their printing spend. Here, Rand McNally has saved a bit of money by using an invoice from 1890 and with a simple crossing out of the "8" and adding a "0" has transformed it into a 1900 invoice. Another interesting thing about this invoice is the purchaser's title: a certain George M. Beadle, Mining Expert, "etc." I suppose that Mr. Beadle had other expertise that the accountant at Rand McNally just couldn't remember.

What the press operator is scrutinizing

2011-07-30T22:24:00.001-07:00

It's the stereotypical image of a press operator - bent over the presswork and examining it under a loupe. People attending a press approval often wonder what the press operator is examining so closely. In fact there's a great deal of information that the press operator can determine from a close up view of the press work.

The first thing that's checked is registration.On the left, dot centered rosettes indicate that the presswork is out of register by one half row of dots. On the right, clear centered rosettes shows the presswork is in register.
Misregistration can also be determined by examining the edge of images to see if one of the process colors is extending beyond the image edge. Click on the above image to enlarge.
Next is halftone dot formation.Halftone dots can reveal issues such as dot doubling that may be the result of loose or incorrect blanket packing.
Here speckles of ink indicate there may be a problem with the plate processor. Also, in this case, the black printer is, because of the elongation of the dots, showing a problem with slurring.
The amount and type of halftone dot distortion can reveal problems with ink water balance as well as the condition of the fountain solution.
When halftone dots are the same size and should be the same approximate density as in the case of Cyan and Magenta - but aren't - this can signal a problem with the solid ink density or an ink/water imbalance.
Pinholes forming inside halftone dots can signal a calcium carbonate issue.

Things that make me go Grrrrrrrrrrr...

2011-07-26T16:47:00.001-07:00

Pretzel hotdog buns, yum yum.
The package label says it contains 6 buns. I wonder what the ingredients are for just one bun?
Doh! Ingredients are listed by serving weight.
But what's a serving? Do I have to weigh the package to find out what makes up 50 g?

Why couldn't they have listed it as: "Per serving (one bun: 50 g)"?

Technical tips for creating brand colors - Part 2 of 2

2011-07-19T15:49:00.001-07:00

When creating a new proprietary custom colors to be used for brand identity keep these technical tips in mind:

1- Humans have very good color discrimination for greens and much less for blues, reds, yellows, and purples.This means that they can more easily distinguish between subtle differences in two similar greens than they can two similar reds. It also means that there are more green custom color options than there are red.

2- In offset lithography, the range of possible greens is larger than that of reds, blues, and oranges

3- Humans have poor color discrimination when hues are very saturated - I.e. saturated colors will tolerate greater variation in reproduction before a color shift is noticed.

4- RGB, CMYK, and Hexadecimal values do not actually define colors because those values are device dependent. I.e. it does not, for example, tell us the specific hue of the Cyan ink being used - a factor that will change depending on the ink manufacturer.A demonstration by Flint ink of the influence on ink color resulting from differences in the substrate upon which the ink is printed.
So, a color defined using CMYK values will also look like a different color when printed on newsprint, in a magazine, or in a brochure due to the differences in the specific CMYK inks used and the substrates they are printed on.
Instead, define the color using CIEL*a*b* reference values since these are device independent. If RGB and/or CMYK values must be provided then make sure that the version or source is included (e.g. sRGB, Adobe 1998 RGB, CMYK/SWOP, CMYK GRACoL 7, etc.) to help minimize variation.

5- Confirm that the proposed custom color is within the color gamut of the expected most used reproduction process.An application like Chromix ColorThink enables the CIEL*a*b* values of the custom color to be compared with the color gamut of the system that will be used to print it and determine if it is reproducible or not - i.e. in, or out of, gamut.
If the custom color is within gamut, it means that it can be simulated by mixing screen tint percentages of the primary inks of the print process.

6- Make sure, by testing, that the ink pigments used in the custom color will not shift hue because of heat e.g. during lamination or react with other inks or to oxygen e.g. Reflex Blue.

7- Avoid using fluorescing agents in the ink.

8- Use certified sample color swatches and CIE L*a*b* values to communicate color globally.Ideally the sample swatches should be as large as possible since the perception of color changes with coverage area. Also include a "Hi-Lo" reference which shows how much darker or lighter the color can be and still be in specification. If possible, include a CIEL*a*b* Delta E value for how far the hue of the color can deviate while still being within specification. Include the information about how the Delta E value is to be calculated (e.g. Delta E 98, Delta E 76, Delta E CMC, etc.)

9- Prevent brand bloat by consolidating/rationalizing custom color libraries. Retire old colors and consolidate colors that are very similar.

10- Wherever possible, trademark the custom color. Typically this can only be done once the color has acquired a secondary meaning in the minds of consumers and that the color is uniquely associated with a particular brand.

Part 1 on this topic can be viewed by clicking HERE

Addendum
A number of readers questioned my statement that humans have very good color discrimination for greens and less so for other colors. In the below video Eric Fossum, image sensor engineer and primary inventor of the CMOS sensor used in digital cameras, mentions the color sensitivity of the human eye during a recent talk at Yale University.

Technical tips for creating brand colors - Part 1 of 2

2011-07-11T16:15:00.001-07:00

Color is one of the most critical components in creating brand identity and while there is a fair amount of information on the psychological and cultural aspects of color - there's very little information on the technical issues that need to be considered when developing a custom or brand color.

Brand colors are custom (a.k.a. line, spot) colors that are any single color (typically other than cyan, magenta, yellow, or black) that are usually printed as a solid area of ink on a dedicated press unit.

There are two types of custom colors -
1 Proprietary
2 Referenced.

Proprietary custom colors are colors that are created by the brand owner or their creatives. Coca-Cola red and Kodak yellow are examples of proprietary brand colors.
Referenced custom colors are usually published in color palettes that are to be used by creatives to specify spot colors.

The main brands of referenced custom color palettes are:

Pantone, the dominant spot color printing system in the United States and Europe.
Toyo, a custom spot color system that is popular in Japan.DIC, Dainippon Ink & Chemicals, Inc., another popular Japanese custom color system.
ANPA a palette of 300 colors specified by the American Newspaper Publishers Association for spot color usage in newspapers.
HKS Hostmann-Steinberg Druckfarben, Kast + Ehinger Druckfarben und H. Schmincke & Co. a custom color system containing 120 spot colors and 3250 tones for coated and uncoated paper.
The main benefit of creating a proprietary brand color is that it is unique to the brand thereby enhancing the brand's unique identity. The downside is that the creatives/brand owner are required to create their own system of specifying, communicating, and manufacturing the color.

The main benefit of using colors from a reference custom color palette is that the system of specifying, communicating, and manufacturing the color has already been built. The downside is that the color is not unique to the brand and can be used by others, potentially creating confusion in the marketplace.

Part 2 on this topic can be viewed by clicking HERE

I see halftones everywhere!

2011-07-03T16:47:00.001-07:00

Technically speaking, halftone screens are "tessallations" - patterns that cover a surface by the repeated use of a single shape, without gaps or overlapping. And since tessallations are popular decorative items - I end up seeing halftone screens everywhere. Here are a few from a recent trip to Seattle.

A classic Diamond halftone dot

An example of a high lpi traditional Square dot halftone

In contrast to a very low lpi Square dot

Waiting to cross the street I spot a mix of two halftone patterns
At first it appears to be a classic Round dot mixed with a more subtle Square dot halftone
But on closer examination it seems to be an exotic version of Esko's Concentric screening. Interestingly the pixels that make up this sidewalk halftone are round instead of the traditional square shape.

Walking past this building reveals a fine example of
Second order FM/stochastic screening.
Sometimes the final halftone screen is not visible, but instead, you can see the foundation for the halftone. Halftone screen dots are formed by a "threshold" array - basically a pattern made up of 256 shades of gray which determines which pixels are turned on to form the actual dot.
The tones of the granite pillar on this building

Make a great threshold array to create a
Mezzotint halftone (the right half of the photo below - click to enlarge)

The Flipback - challenger to the traditional eBook

2011-06-26T13:38:00.000-07:00

The advance of technology is relentless. With the introduction of "Flipback" technology it may soon begin to erode the domain of traditional eBooks.

The Flipback format is a sideways-bound book with lie-flat binding and is sized to fit in a shirt pocket and optimized for easy one-handed reading.
Flipbacks are comprised of pages rather than bytes and pixels. Their compact size is made possible by the printing of words on wafer-thin onion paper, the same type of paper traditionally used for the printing of Bibles. Like the eBooks it may eventually replace, the Flipback is easily portable but, unlike eBooks, it needs no external power (except for physically turning the pages).

Could this invention kill the entrenched traditional readers like Kindle, Kobo, Nooks, etc?" Only time will tell if consumers are willing to adopt this innovation in reading technology.

Paper size and weight conversions

2011-06-21T17:28:00.000-07:00

In North America, the default paper size is "Letter" size while outside North America, the default paper size is A4.

ISO 216 - Standard Metric Paper Sizes
Standard North American Sizes
Paper weights

There are two terms commonly used to describe paper weight:
• Basis Weight  The basis weight of a paper is based on the weight of 500 sheets,  measured in pounds, in that paper's basic sheet size. Note that the "basic sheet size" is not the same  for all types of paper which makes comparisons of weight between different papers difficult.
• Caliper  Caliper refers to the thickness of a sheet of paper measured with a micrometer and expressed  in thousandth of an inch. Paper caliper should not vary more than +/- 5% to 7%  within a sheet. Generally, there is a relation between caliper and basis weight in that  the greater the caliper (the thicker the paper), the greater the paper weight. But not always.

Darker colored boxes represent the most common paper weights for that category.This Table was compiled by Micro Format, Inc., Wheeing IL. Used with permission.

The Wayback View - German printshop advertising - circa 1926

2011-06-16T22:50:00.000-07:00

German culture is noted (outside of Germany) for its engineering excellence and its lack of humor. These examples of printshop advertising posters fall into another category - graphic design excellence.

(My very rough translations)

Good print advertising and offset book printing.

Rough poster prints
The offset printing chosen by professionals. Offset papers and cartons.
Imitated but not equalled.

If your advertising needs are putting on the squeeze - we can help.

The paper problem

2011-06-06T12:09:00.000-07:00

Typically paper - the most used printing substrate - accounts for some 30-50 percent of the overall print project cost. And despite the fact that it is also often the most expensive component of the final presswork it's surprising that there are no published standards, specifications or trade customs in the paper industry.

The assignment of a particular grade to a quality category and the establishment of sales policies are made by each paper mill based on its own internal evaluation of its products relative to those of its competitors.   That makes direct, objective, competitive comparisons between different papers virtually impossible.  

The color of paper is identified using adjectives like "cream","natural", "white", etc. rather than objective definitions such as the CIEL*a*b* coordinates that printers use. Again, there are no specifications or tolerances provided by mills as to the consistency of a specific paper color either through the stack, roll, or when the same brand is supplied by mills located in different regions.

The brightness of the sheet is one common measure of distinction. It is measured by comparing the amount of light reflected by the paper surface to the amount of the same light reflected by the surface of magnesium oxide established as the standard of 100%. A common term used in quoting the measure is “G.E. brightness,” although G.E. no longer manufactures the measuring instrument. "Brightness" is also not a measurement that printers or buyers can measure themselves. Even though variation is part of every manufacturing process, there are no defined tolerances for paper brightness.

There are no specifications or tolerances or even notification of optical brightener agent content. This has become a major issue as the mills have mostly switched from clay fillers to calcium carbonate. This problem has resulted in the fact that papers today, for the most part, no longer meet the ISO 12647 specification. Papers with optical brighteners are impossible to visually match between printing technologies which can cause severe disconnects between proof and presswork as well as greater color shifting as presswork and proof are viewed under different lighting conditions.

"Caliper" defines the thickness of paper, measured in thousandths of an inch, which can also be expressed as a point size - e.g. If the caliper of a paper measures .009 inches it is a "9 point" stock. As paper caliper varies, presswork color may also vary. But again there are no defined tolerances for paper caliper either through the stack, roll, or across the width or length of the sheet.
If the sheet metal used in car manufacturing was specified and toleranced with the same technical rigor as a sheet of paper is for print manufacturing - the cars would likely be undrivable.

Aurasma - Augmented reality that might replace QR codes?

2011-05-26T18:45:00.000-07:00

After becoming very popular in Asia and Europe, QR codes are just beginning to gain popularity in North America (for more on QR codes click HERE). However a new technology that recognizes images captured by a smart phone or tablet device can do many of the things QR codes can do - without the QR code itself. In this report by the BBC note how the Aurasma technology brings printed materials to life.

A report from the BBC on the Aurasma technology, a 15 second ad precedes the 2 minute video.

A demonstration of Blippar augmented reality which also uses image recognition to bring interactivity to print.
Of course walking around holding out your smart phone as demonstrated in the video may not be a smart idea in some cities.

Things that make me go Grrrrrrrrrrr...

2011-05-17T18:54:00.000-07:00

I don't know if this is a design issue, a labeling issue, a legal issue, or?
Here's an example of a label that makes me go Grrrrrrrrrrr:

A can of Campbell's soup (yum, yum):

Ah, it contains 540mL of soup:

Grrrrrrrrrrr! The ingredients are listed based on 250mL:

Why aren't the ingredients listed based on 540mL (the can contents) or even 270mL (half a can)?
For some reason most soups, not just Campell's, suffer the same ingredient measurement mismatch.

Grrrrrrrrrrr!

At least the label is printed using FM screening. :-)

The Wayback View – When I grow up I want to be a printer

2011-05-08T22:03:00.000-07:00

I wonder how many of today's print shop owners began their careers as the result of presents discovered under the Christmas Tree or given as a reward for achieving yet another birthday.

Yes it's true...Popeye was not just a sailor but a printer as well!
Each kit came with rubber stamps and an ink pad.
The rubber stamps could be used to print in the appropriate cartoon image in the Popeye strip.

Even Pinocchio got into the printer's game.
A Colorforms toy from 1962.

If you were a very lucky boy - the ghost of Benjamin Franklin would be there in spirit as you printed out scores of cards and tickets.
Ben Franklin printer no. 24x, manufactured by Fulton Specialty Co., Elizabeth, New Jersey, USA.
As a printer you could expect the loving gaze of scores of womenfolk admiring your prowess on the press.

But as a printer
Even though you had all the pieces
Every job was a challenge of filling out the blanks.

Ahhh...the promise of fortunes made in printing:

U.S. Postal Service uses wrong art - printer gets the blame

2011-04-29T13:40:00.000-07:00

Why is it that the printer is always blamed when there's an artwork mistake?

Recently the U.S. Postal Service released this new 44 cent stamp:
honoring Liberty Enlightening the World, better known as the Statue of Liberty. The U.S. Postal Service issued a press release about the new stamp stating: "The statue, located on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, was designed by French sculptor Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi."

Unfortunately, that is not the statue featured on the stamp. Instead it is a half size replica located in front of he New York-New York Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas Nevada.
Liberty lighting the way in Las Vegas.
The original on the left and the replica 2,600 miles away in Las Vegas.
The original press release (now updated) makes no mention of the statue shown on the stamp being the Las Vegas replica rather than the New York original.

Unfortunately Time magazine referred to the Post Office error in these words: "Even the Post Office didn't pick up on the printing error" and "perhaps the original message of the stamp has been lost in the misprint" (Click HERE for the full Time magazine story).

It seems that the printer always gets the blame when things go wrong.

Errol H. R. Etienne - April 28, 1941 - April 22, 2011

2011-04-23T15:30:00.001-07:00

I first met Errol Etienne when he had a graphic design studio in Montréal, Québec. My wife was his "mechanical man" and prepared all his camera-ready artwork. He was a profound influence in my attitude towards the graphic arts as he epitomized the complete commercial artist excelling at design, illustration, photography, and typography.
A few pages from "Brown Things" a self promotion book written and illustrated by Errol and screen printed on handmade Japanese paper.
Étienne was born in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1941, but spent most of his childhood in Québec, Canada. At the age of 27, in 1968, he graduated from the Art Center College of Design in Los Angeles, California.
The "Incredible Fuzzy Wonder Book" a small promotional book featuring various moustachioed celebrities including Errol and partner Jim Carpenter produced during his brief Toronto stay.
In the mid-seventies he moved to Vancouver, Canada, where he did business under the name of the "Frog and Bison" "Frog" being a reference to his years in Montréal, Quebec, and "Bison" for a former associate in Montana. At that time Errol also operated a studio/gallery, the "Frog and Swan" with artist/calligrapher Robin Arkell. Errol embodied no-compromise professionalism: "I don't let people make changes in my work because it's so personal. I know production and what the job needs, and the only thing that's important is the end product. How you get to that is the problem because the only standard is that it must be excellent. There is really is no excuse for a mediocre final product."

Errol's career veered off track in the early 1980s due to illness and it wasn’t until after a liver transplant in 1994 that he could return to his craft, but found the need to work differently in a different market. “When I came out there were computers and everything had changed for graphic designers.” So Errol gave up graphic design work and with his wife Jan became a vagabond and worked in a “mobile studio,” a GMC motorhome that took them across the country, painting, meeting with collectors and selling his work at private shows and small town markets.
"The light that burns twice as bright burns for half as long - and you have burned so very, very brightly."

Odds and Sods - Printshop business cards

2011-04-05T18:01:00.000-07:00

A few interesting business cards used by printers back in the day.

Today, "Steam Power" is sometimes used to signify an old-fashioned analog workflow. The slogan: "Prices to Suit the Times" perhaps indicates that the pricing goes up and down with the stock market.
Thompson had another steam powered printshop. No need to mention the city where it was located though.

A not very novel way to promote a novelty printer.
At the turn of the 19th Century towns were small enough that there was no need to give the actual address on the business card. Everyone knew where you did business.
If you need packaging for fruit, vegetables, and tigers then this is the printer for you.

Competition - A lesson from the 2002 Olympics

2011-03-14T21:57:00.000-07:00